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View Full Version : Is this really a medium nib??



Brian Moser
April 3rd, 2014, 03:58 PM
I've recently purchased a Montblanc Noblesse. The listing said that it had a medium nib, but it seems more like double broad to me. You can see this in the picture below, where I've compared it to a medium Lamy nib.

I've never owned a Montblanc pen before, nor am I a pen expert, so is there something I should know with regards to the Nibs on (1990s) Montblanc pens? Are they known to run very wide? Am I holding it wrong?

10654

jar
April 3rd, 2014, 04:33 PM
Yup, likely a medium. Of course there are also Montblanc medium nibs that are even more narrow than your Lamy.

What you need to know is that there are no standards for what a "medium" width is. Some companies have ranges to difine widths but even those may change between models or eras.

kallenpj
April 3rd, 2014, 06:04 PM
Same or different ink? Even the same nib with a slight flow adjustment can have a lot of line width variation.

Paul-H
April 3rd, 2014, 11:38 PM
Hi

Also don't forget that there is no international standard for nib sizes, so you cannot compare Nibs from different makers, and sometimes different pens from the same maker have a different standard, a Montblanc Medium is only a Medium when compared to other nibs attached to the same pen, A Montblanc Medium can be quite different to a Sailor Medium which could be quite different to a Lamy Medium. My MB 146 & 149 are both Mediums but the 149 is much finer then the 146.

Not all Mediums are the same.

Paul

Jeph
April 4th, 2014, 01:16 AM
That is more variation than I would believe if everything were equal but it is possible.
Are those both the same ink?
Are you putting any pressure on the nib? The stiff Lamy nib won't give up much but the MB nib will (usually) respond more easily to pressure.

On non-absorbent paper with as close to zero pressure as possible I would expect a western medium to run about .7mm stroke width with something like Waterman Serenity Blue.

I have legitimate EF nibs that on some copy papers will make a full 1mm line when I get .5 mm with the same pen and ink on somethinig like Rhodia. There are even some papers that make a M nib write like a magic marker.

Do some vertical and horizontal strokes with the same ink on the same paper. It is harder to overpressure lateral strokes and with a standard ball nib both directions should yield the same line width. That would answer the pressure question. Then try some different paper if you can.

Some inks also absorb more into the paper than others.

Nib wetness also will affect line width. I would not be surprised for the Lamy to be running dry and the MB to be running wet.

Just looking at the pen tipping if I was forced to guess I would say medium, but I don't really know that pen.

HermetiC
April 4th, 2014, 03:21 AM
Definitely not a M from Montblanc. Is like a BB to me.

kaisnowbird
April 4th, 2014, 03:38 AM
The shape of the tipping material suggests it's a medium. Certainly not a BB for Montblanc.

IIRC, your earlier photo of the same pen showed a rather wide slit between the tines, which could easily make a generous M write like a marker. Have a look to see if you need to close the tines a little.

The writing angle is relevant too.

Mags
April 4th, 2014, 04:52 AM
It sure looks 10/10 wet and medium. Did it gush ink?

LagNut
April 4th, 2014, 01:16 PM
We'll see if this works, but I recalled and found a nib sizing chart from nibs.com nibs.com//tippingsizespage.htm. This link may or may not work, I couldn't copy/paste on my phone into Tapatalk.

LagNut
April 4th, 2014, 01:18 PM
Nope. Didn't work, but close. Brings you to nibs.com but not directly to the nib size page. Its in the links to the left of the page.

LagNut
April 4th, 2014, 01:22 PM
Further, MB is not one of the companies listed. Sorry for the diversion.

GING GING
August 7th, 2014, 11:31 PM
Test

orfew
August 8th, 2014, 02:18 PM
My 80's 146 has a medium nib that writes very similarly to your example.

Chrissy
August 12th, 2014, 08:31 AM
Well that writing example is more like my Montblanc Boheme B nib than any M that I have tried.

Have a look at the writing for each nib on the Montblanc web-site (https://www.montblanc.com/en/flash/default.aspx/#/customer-service/writing-instruments/nib-exchange-service) and see what you prefer.